An Angel's Death
by PercyJfan100
Summary: During a battle, Tigress is severely wounded & will probably not live. See how the five & Po cope, along w/ Master Shifu. Oh, & Tigress has some new aquaintences. Her... parents?
1. Chapter 1

_I looked around, horrified. There was almost no noise, an eerie silence consuming everything. Only the wind and the faint moans of agony from the injured gave any indication that this wasn't the land of the dead. Carts and homes were reduced to stubble, burning with scarlet flames. The tangy, salty scent of blood lingered in the air, and smoke covered the sky, making it an ashen black rather than gentle blue. A pair of malicious, evil eyes floated on the horizon, a good twelve feet off the ground. They seemed to hover, no body visible, due to the fact that it was now night, and the smoke filled air didn't help. A bone rattling growl cut through the air, and I shuddered. I was sure he would attack, kill us all in some unspeakably horrible way, but what he did next was much worse._

_He teleported to a few feet away from me, where Tigress stood, panting. She was obviously exhausted, her breathing uneven and ragged. She was completely vulnerable to attack; she wasn't paying much attention due to her overwhelming sense of fatigue, and he knew it. Quicker than lightning, he grabbed her by the throat, digging his talons into her flesh. She let out a strangled, choked scream, struggling to free herself, but to no avail. He was stronger than all of us. He teleported back to his place on the hill, overlooking the ruined village with an evil smirk, all the while clutching one of my best friends (and only crush) by the throat. Even from the approximate fifteen feet away from him that I was, I could see the blood beginning to trickle down her next, staining her already red fur, making little rivers that gushed off her neck and onto the ground and her clothes, leaving little red lakes._

_She gasped, her breathing still limited. She wasn't getting enough air. Soon she'd either lose consciousness, or die of shock, exhaustion, and blood loss. I'd prefer the former over the latter, I really would. I was about to run forward and fight, try to save her, but he called out. "Take a single step and she dies. Right here, right now." Holding up a sharp foot long blade, he ran it under her chin, just barely gentle enough to not slice it._

_I couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not, but I couldn't take chances. I wouldn't let her die. Only in his dreams and in my nightmares would I let her be hurt in any way before I threw my life before her to prevent it. I loved her; I guess that wouldn't be anywhere far from the truth. Man that felt good to say. I admit it, I'm in love with her. There, I said it. "Put her down!" I yelled. "Or what, Dragon Warrior?" he taunted._

"_What do you want? I'll do anything, just put her down!" "Hmm." He mused, obviously taking his time to state his request just to aggravate me. And it was working. I was worried for Tigress's safety, nothing else mattered at the moment. "You." "What?" "You." He repeated. "You will be my prisoner, in exchange for the girl. It is your decision, and I'd advise out to choose quickly if you wish to see your beloved tiger ever again. She'd lost quite a bit of precious blood/" he said. "Alright! Anything! Just put her down!" I instantly agreed._

"_Po. No, don't. You'll regret saving m-" "No I won't. I want to save you. I have to. If I don't, what kind of a Dragon Warrior am I?" Despite the situation, she gave a small smile at my logic. "Come on. Let her go. A deal's a deal." "Alright." He dropped her and she immediately grasped her bleeding neck, desperately trying to stop the red liquid from flowing. I was about to walk over to him and let him take me prisoner, but something made me change my mind. He was still holding his blade, and before I could even blink, he thrust it downwards, driving it into her stomach._

_Her body went rigid, and she gasped, eyes wide. Her head fell to the ground, unconscious. He laughed evilly, then teleported somewhere else, his horrid cackles still echoing in the air. I ran to Tigress, who was barely breathing. I knew I couldn't leave the blade there, it might infect her body. But if I pulled it out, she might suffer from internal bleeding. Key word being might, I pulled it out in one quick motion, nearly vomiting as blood sprayed from her wound. I pressed a hand to it, shuddering as the cool liquid came in contact with my fur._

_Gathering Tigress in my arms, I ran off, trying to find the others. I found them caring for the wounded in a small building that had somehow survived. "Guys!" I shouted, rushing in. "Hey P- WHAT HAPPENED?" Monkey yelled, noticing Tigress' ill condition. They all rushed over, looking ultimately concerned. Viper's eyes were already watering when she saw Tigress first, but broke down sobbing when she saw her stomach wound. After that, she started hyperventilating, taking quick, short breaths, squeaking. Then she fainted on the spot, although from shock or shortage of breath we're unsure._

"_What… How…?" Crane asked, looking at me as I gently laid Tigress down on a bed, probably wanting an explanation of why she was in such a condition. "Do you really want to know?" I asked seriously, hoping he didn't really expect me to explain. My stomach was upset enough as it was. I didn't need to be telling any bloody battle stories. I just shook my head in response, turning to look at her. She was breathing ever so gently, like the slightest touch and it would cease. Her clothes were stained red, even her already scarlet vest, where the stains should've been unnoticeable, splotches of red were visible. Seeing her in such fragile condition pained me, so much it was indescribable._

_Viper wasn't much better. Her breathing was normal, even as usual, but her scales looked awful. Instead of their usual forest green, they were now a ghostly pale green and white. She had a bit of a fever, according to Crane, who was spending all his spare time watching her. It was pretty obvious (to us, anyway) that he was crazy for her, and she felt the same way, but they were both way too shy to admit it. I don't see why he doesn't just tell her, it's not like she'd kill him or severely injure him for saying something like that. Tigress, on the hand, would totally murder me, bring me back to life, kill me again, bring me back from the dead once more, than bury me alive. Ok, I may be exaggerating, but not by much. That's one of the many things I like about her. She's not afraid to act when she's angry. Sure, she has control over what she does, but she doesn't hesitate to beat any one of us to a pulp if we say something that really ticks her off._

_Except maybe Viper. But that's only because they're best friends and Viper's a bit… fragile_. _Emotionally and physically. Even things meant as a compliment can upset her, or, if aimed at the right place, a simple punch could really damage her spine. Sure, when it comes to a battle, she's really strong, but she's delicate on the inside. Easily offended. Emotionally vulnerable. That sorta thing. Anyway, that's the reason I haven't told Tigress I like her yet. I'm way too young to die. But now I might never _get _to tell her. She might never wake up. No. No, that won't happen. She can't die. She's our leader, our commander. She always knows what to do, always has a plan. Without her, we'd be lost. _I'd _be lost. We need her, all of us. Even Master Shifu. Even if he doesn't want to admit, I know it's true. He loves her, very, very much. I'm not sure she believes it, but he does. I can tell, I just can. I can't explain, but I just know. Like when you can tell someone is staring at you, even though you haven't even looked to check, you can feel their eyes on you._

_Oh no! What are we going to tell Master Shifu? He'll freak out if he sees her like this! And then he'll kill me. I'm the Dragon Warrior, its my job to keep everyone safe. He'd be so angry if he saw his adoptive daughter in such a condition, he'd probably explode. Oh man, I'm toast. Over. Done. Finished. Destined to die a slow, painful death. Just what I needed. _


	2. Chapter 2

I was horribly depressed. Sure, we'd defeated our greatest enemy yet, but Tigress was in very poor condition. We were all gathered in her room, surrounding her bed, watching as she barely breathed, eyes closed. She was awake, but didn't wish to have her eyes open; it took too much energy. We all knew she would soon die, the wound was too deep, but I refused to believe it. She was strong, she could survive this. A least that's what I told myself, but deep down, I knew I was just telling myself lies, building up hopes that would soon be crushed. She shifted slightly, and we all tensed, not sure what to expect. Her eyes cracked open, and her gaze settled on me. "Po? Is that you?" she questioned, her voice nearly silent, no more than a frail whisper. "Yeah. It's me. Tigress, you're, you're going to, uh…" I wasn't really sure how to tell someone they were about to face death. It was rather disturbing, and I couldn't find the right words. "Die?" "Y-yeah." She smiled gently. "I know. And I'm ready for it." "What! But Tigress-" "It's ok. I knew it would happen eventually. Everyone has to leave sometime. We can't control it; it's a fact of life." "But we don't want you to go. We need you Tigress. _I _need you." I complained. "No, you don't. You'll be just fine on your own." She said.

She laid her head back on her pillow, eyes closing. I was worried she'd just died right there, but a sleepy smile spread on her face. "They're waiting for me." she murmured. "What?" Viper asked. "They're waiting for me." she repeated, a little louder. "Who? Who's waiting for you?" Crane asked. Her smile widened. "My parents." She took a short breath before continuing. "I can hear them calling me, directing me towards them." she informed us. Her voice changed to a haunting, echoing version of hers. "I'm coming, mother, father. Just give me a minute." It may have been my imagination, but I could've sworn a new sweet, angelic voice echoed through the air. "Hurry, my child. We miss you."

"Did anyone else hear that?" I asked, looking at the five and Master Shifu. "Uh, hear what?" Monkey questioned, looking confused. "Never mind." "That was my mother. She wants me to come to her." "But you, you can't go yet!" I protested. Opening her eyes, she looked directly at me, ruby red meeting jade green. "I must Po. I miss them, too. I haven't seen them in twenty two _years_." "I know, but-" "Shhh." She soothed, holding a finger to my lips. "It's ok. I'll still be here, and I'll watch you all." She then turned to the others. "Remember, every time you win a battle, even if you can't see me, I'll be there, cheering. Please don't forget." "We won't, sister. I promise." Viper said, her voice fragile.

"I have to go now. But before I do, I have two things to say." "Master Shifu, my whole life, I've done everything I could to make you proud. I hope I've done so, and you are the best father I've ever had." He nodded. "I am very proud of you, my daughter. I wish you happiness with your parents." He said. She then turned to looked at me again. "Po, I have a confession to make." "Ok…" "I love you." She whispered. With that, she grabbed my face and pulled me closer, till we were kissing. I could tell everyone was staring, but I didn't care. "I love you too, Tigress. I always will." I whispered in her ear. She smiled again. "Thank you. Now I can go." Then she laid her head down, eyes closing. Her breathing slowly stopped, and as she released her final breath, she whispered "Goodbye. You're better then any family I could have dreamed of." And then, complete silence.

Until Viper started crying. She was sobbing quietly, tears pooring down her cheeks and splashing onto the floor. She buried her face in Crane's chest, crying into his feathers. He hesitantly wrapped his wings around her, his head bowed. I looked down, staring at my feet. She was gone. The love of my life… gone. Gone forever. I'd never see her again in my life. I stepped back from her bed and stood by the rest of the five, who were all silently crying. I was ready to join them, but a sweet, angelic voice called. "Please don't be sad." all of our heads raised slowly, to see the shock of our lives.

There, rising out of Tigress' body, was a ghostly form of her, her image, but clear. She was literally glowing, a bright white light surrounding her. "T-Tigress…?" She smiled kindly. "Yes, it's me. Well, my spirit, but still. I've risen from my body to say goodbye." She stepped towards us, except, it wasn't exactly a step. She was hovering about six inches off the ground, but still. She first addressed master Shifu. "Goodbye, father. I hope I've made you proud." "You have. More than any will ever know." She smiled good naturedly. Then she turned to Crane. "I am honored to be one of your comrades. You are wise, strong, and talented. Stay that way." He nodded, awestruck at what he was seeing. She turned to Viper, who was still wrapped in Crane's wings. "Viper. You are an amazing warrior, as well as a friend. You are a caring, compassionate, wonderful character. Please never change your ways." She nodded with a small smile. "Monkey. I have always admired your sense of humor, and your strong knowledge of friendship. You are a truly wonderful companion anyone would be lucky to have in their lives. Remember that for as long as you live." He nodded hesitantly, eyes wide with amazement. "Mantis. You are strong, loyal, kind, and friendly. Do not let anyone tell you different, or change you from what you are. You are flawless just the way you are." He managed a quiet thank you before falling off Monkey's shoulder. Tigress caught him, gingerly setting him back in place. "Po. You are a wonderful, kind, loving, funny, talented, and fearless warrior. I admire all your traits. I hope you will always remember what I've said today. I mean every word out of my mouth. And I love you very, _very _much." She whispered that last part to me, pecking my cheek.

A voice called out "Tigress.", the same voice that I'd heard earlier. She slowly turned, where, to all of our surprise, stood two other tigers, ghostly clear, but smiling. Her eyes widened, a smile of pure joy creeping onto her face. "Mom, dad…" she then rushed over and hugged them, while they embraced her. "Oh, our little girl." Her mom whispered. "Look at you. You've grown up into the strong, beautiful girl we'd always hoped." Her father said, clutching her shoulders. "I've missed you so much." Tigress whispered. "We've missed you too, baby. We watched you grow up, so proud of what you'd accomplished." Her mother added. She turned to us. "Mom, dad, this is my family." "Ah, yes. Masters Viper, Mantis, Crane, Monkey, Po, and Shifu. Pleased to meet you all." They bowed. Then, her father did something rather unexpected.

He teleported to behind Shifu, and smacked him upside the head. "OW! Why did you do that?" he demanded. "For not showing any love for our daughter for the past twenty years." He growled. Tigress giggled in her mom's embrace, leaning her head back on her chest. "We have to go now, child." He said, teleporting back to them. "You have much to see. Living the life of an angel can be exhilarating if you are not prepared." "Wait. What? Did you just say…" "angel?" Tigress questioned. "Yes, of course. Where we're going, you'll have the best life you could ever dream of. You'll be an angel, a citizen of heaven. What did you expect?" her mother questioned. "I get to be… an angel?" "Yep." "I don't have to wear a dress, do I?" I snorted, thinking of the fight she'd put up if they tried to get her to wear a dress. "Of course not. It's your choice." "Thank the gods." "Goodbye, my family. I will miss you." She then turned away, disappearing in a flash of golden light.

Master Shifu bowed to the spot Tigress' ghostly form had once hovered, then turned and left the room. "Excuse me, I have… important matters to attend to." he then marched out quickly, but I saw something he probably didn't want me to. A single, lone tear trickled down his cheek, which he hastily wiped. I was shocked, but I was too sad to care. We all were. We all turned to Tigress's body, she still _looked _alive, but her still chest and silent body told us otherwise. "I-If anybody n-needs me, I'll be in the Training Hall." Monkey said, running out as tears stained hi cheeks. "And if someone needs me, I'll be at the Pool of Sacred Tears." Mantis announced. "I'll be in room." Viper said, slithering out her fastest, slipping a bit on the pools of tears now on the floor. "See ya, Po. I'll be at the Sacred peach Tree." Crane proclaimed, walking out the door at a slow, steady pace, reaching his wing up to swipe at his watering eyes.

I just sat next to the bed, where my one and only true loves' body laid, still as could be. "I miss you, Tigress." I whispered, kissing her forehead. It was surprisingly warm for a dead person. I figured her body would be ice cold, but instead, it was warm, as if it were settled in front of a warm fire. I was curious, but didn't bother to investigate, I was too busy crying. I held her paw to my chest, trying to remember what her beautiful smile looked like, or her wonderful, cheerful laugh. But I just couldn't. I was far too depressed to remember things so heavenly. I prayed silently to the gods, begging them to bring her back, but I knew it was effortless. She'd never return. And we all knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as we arrived, I dropped the act. "Take me home. Now." I demanded. "But dear, you are home. This is your home. Forever." Mother announced, placing a hand on my shoulder. "No!" I shoved it off. "This isn't a home, if I'm here with _you_." "What do you-" "You abandoned me. Left me to die. Why should I stay with you?" "Because we're your parents." "_Parents _care about their children, like Master Shifu did to me. _Parents _don't just leave their three year old daughter in the middle of a flooding village to save themselves!" I was nearly yelling. "But, we-" "I don't want to hear it! I want to go back, back to a family that cares about me. Back to the Jade Palace." "You can't-" "I can. And _will_. You are _not _going to stop me." "Tigress, wait." "What?" "You do realize that if you go back, you can never return? You can re-inhabit your body and continue life on Earth, but you'll never have the chance at being an angel again." My mother said. I smiled, knowing she expected me to stay. "I know. Bye." "Wait, what?" My father exclaimed as I disappeared.

I silently teleported into my room, where I saw Po, sitting beside my dead body, holding my hand, crying. Smiling slightly, I floated over to my lifeless form, and in one quick motion, I forced myself in. I felt all tingly, my spiritual form blending with the solid one. It was slightly painful, but endured it. I tested my body, taking a breath. It worked. I blinked, then slowly sat up. I nudged the panda next to me, whispering his name. "Po…" "Not now, Tigress. I- Tigress!" he yelled, looking at me with wide eyes. "But, how? I saw you die." "I know. But I made my choice. I could either stay an angel, or give it up forever and continue living with my family. My _real _family." I said, smiling. "This is the best thing that ever- wait, did you say give it up?" "Yep. I could've stayed, but I didn't want to. I love being with you more than anything." "This is amazing! Better than anything!" he was nearly yelling, we were both so excited and happy.

We kissed for a brief moment, then decided we should tell everyone of my recent return. They'd probably have a heart attack if they just came across me, still believing I was dead. We found Viper in her room, face buried into her pillow, soaking it with tears, sobbing uncontrollably. We didn't bother knocking; she wouldn't have heard us anyway. "Viper?" I whispered, gently nudging my friend. "Wh-what?" she asked, her voice muffled and choked, due to her crying and her face being isolated in her pillow. "Whatever you want, the answer is no! Can't you see I'm crying over the death of my best friend?" she yelled, still not looking up. "Why don't you just turn over and see who it is?" I asked, becoming slightly annoyed. "Too much effort." She muttered. "Oh, for the gods' sake." I rolled her over in one quick movement. Her expression went from angry to surprise to disbelief. "Ok, I'm obviously dreaming, or died from dehydration." She said, eyes wide. "No, I'm really here." I assured her. "But this is impossible! I'm not complaining, but this is just… wow! You just, I saw- and you- and-" she stopped rambling and sprang at me, wrapping herself around me, hugging me so tight I couldn't breathe. "Uh, Viper? As glad as I am to be back and see you… I do need air if I'm going to last!" "Oh, sorry." She apologized, blushing shyly.

"This is huge! We've got to tell everyone!" she exclaimed. "True. Very true." I agreed. "Ok, let's meet in the training hall in about, mmm, ten minutes. I'll get Mantis, Viper, you get Crane. He's at the Peach Tree. Tigress, will you just make sure Monkey's in the Training hall? Ad if he's not, find him." Po said. I was glad to do my part, but Viper seemed nervous. "W-wait. Why do _I _have to go get him?" she asked. "What? You scared?" I asked. "No! It's just…" "You like him?" Po teased. "WHAT? No, I just- I- that's not- never mind, I'll do it!" she said, her cheeks turning a magenta pink. She then zipped out the door, still flushing bright pink. "We all know it's true!" I called.

I headed straight for the Training Hall just as I was told, while Po headed off in another direction. As I arrived, I found monkey was indeed there, curled up in a ball huddled in the corner, hugging his knees. "Why? Why?" he whispered, over and over. "Monkey." I said quietly, tapping his shoulder. "What?" he asked, still staring at the wall, finding the corner very interesting. "Just turn around before I make _you _visit heaven!" I said. He whipped around at the tone of my threatening voice, knowing only I could sound that serious and threatening yet slightly sarcastic at the same time. "Tigress! You're not dead!" he yelled. He pounced on me, hugging me. "Oh, thank the gods! But how is it possible?" he asked, releasing me. "Uh, I'm not really sure. I just wanted to come back, and, well, like I said, I'm not sure." "Ok…"

The doors burst open, and Crane, Mantis, and Po ran in. I almost immediately ended up on the floor, the arms of my family wrapped around me. I laughed, hugging them back. "I missed you all, too." "It's so great to have you back! Even if you weren't gone too long." Mantis said. "Yeah. Agreed. I'm pretty sure I really _would _have died of dehydration if you'd been gone much longer." Viper said, coiling tighter around me. We all laughed at her little joke, resituating so we were now in a sitting position, all still entwined in a family hug. Well, it was _almost_ a family hug.

"Hey, where's Shifu? Shouldn't he be here?" I asked. "Yeah. You think he'd show up for his daughter's return from the dead." Po muttered. I frowned, thinking he was right, but I wasn't his daughter. He only saw me as a student, nothing more. Well, maybe one of his best students, but so are Viper, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, and Po. We're all equally skilled in Kung Fu. In different styles, but still, I had hoped he be here, happy to see me. Or had anyone even told him? Oh well, I content, embracing my family, my brothers and sister, and the person I loved. "Let's go find him." Crane suggested. "Alright. He deserves to know." I agreed.

We all rose, untangled ourselves. "Did he say where he was headed after I… left?" I questioned. "Uh, no. Just said he had something important to do." Po responded. "Oh my gosh! He was probably talking about a funeral!" Viper exclaimed. "Oh gods! If he finds out you're not there, he'll freak!" Mantis added. We all ran off to the bedroom hall, hoping our Master hadn't already discovered my absence. Unfortunately, he was already there.

The others stepped in first, where Master Shifu was, looking confused and angry. Not a good sign. "Students. What is the meaning of this?" he asked quietly through clenched teeth, gesturing at my empty bed. "Uh, well… you see…." "Where is she?" he growled. "Uh, she's…" Po started. "Right here." I popped in, coming to their aid. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. His jaw dropped, his left eye twitching "How…" "I know, I know, it's impossible. It's hard to explain, let alone understand." He recomposed his posture, standing up straight. "Well, I'm glad you're back." "Just hug her already!" Viper said, giving him a gentle shove forward. "Well, I-" "Oh, c'mon. It won't kill you!" Po said, pushing him forward some more. "Anyone else feel like another group hug…" Viper hinted in a playful voice. "Me." everyone, short of Master Shifu said.

They all lunged for me again, and I ended up on the floor. Again. But I didn't mind. I was home, with my family. I grabbed Shifu, and before he could protest, we were all hugging. The perfect reunion moment. Po kissed me silently, hoping no one would notice, as they all had their eyes closed, faces plastered with dreamy smiles, but Viper did. "Well, if you're gonna be all romantic…" she lurched forward and kissed Crane on the lips, surprising us all. She pulled away, blushing. "I've always wanted to do that." She muttered. "And I've always wanted to do this." Crane then kissed her. "I can explain…" he said quickly. "I don't care what the reason is. Just do it again!" she ordered. "Ok!" he sounded eager.

"So are you together now?" I questioned, smirking. "Are you?" she shot back. "I guess so." I said quietly, laying my head on Po's shoulder. "Love you." "Love you too." We were all still hugging, sitting on the floor, embracing one another, smiling. Sure, we might have looked like idiots, but none of us cared. We were back together, as a team, as friends, as a family. And I couldn't be happier. None of us could.


End file.
